Veterans of Foreign Wars is accepting applications from military service members who have been deployed in the last six years and have run into unexpected financial difficulties as a result of deployment or other military-related activity. Since the program's inception, Unmet Needs has distributed over $6.75 million in assistance to more than 4,300 qualified military families, with nearly half of those funds going directly toward basic housing needs.

The program provides financial assistance of up to $5,000 to assist with basic life needs in the form of a grant — not a loan — so no repayment is required. Eligible expenses include housing and vehicle payments; utility or phone bills; food and incidentals; children's clothing, food, diapers, school, and childcare; and medical bills, prescriptions, and eyeglasses.

The need addressed by the grant must be the result of deployment, a military pay issue, or military-related illness or injury, and cannot be due to civil legal, or domestic issues, misconduct, or any issues that are a result of spousal separation or divorce, financial mismanagement (by self or others), or bankruptcy.

To be eligible, the applicant must be the service member or eligible dependent listed under the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the VFW website.